The Residence Hall Association is bringing the love to single Simpson College students this Valentine’s Day week with the revival of speed dating. The event will be held in Camp Lounge on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. with games, snacks and of course singles ready to mingle.  

“This event is to help students meet other singles at Simpson and to possibly find a date for Valentine’s Day,” freshman Heidi Scott said.The night will begin with mingling time, giving the students a chance to see who else came out to the event. Then the speed dating will begin with the announcer, junior Steven Ramsey, giving prompt questions for the daters. Singles will meet for one to two minutes until they have been paired with most of the other singles. 

Singles can then socialize for a second time and converse with who they thought their best matches were. Each person will be able to write down who they want their match to be at the end of the night and will be contacted if the decision was mutual. 

“This will be a fun, exciting event where everyone is in the same situation,” Scott said. “They are all single and looking for that perfect person.”

Junior Brandon Harrison said RHA has done speed dating events in the past and they have always had a good turn out. Harrison mentioned that not only can this event help singles get a date for Valentine’s Day but it can also be a good chance for students to practice their verbal and nonverbal communication skills. 

“First impressions mean a lot,” Harrison said. “If you don’t start building and practicing now you won’t be very good at it later on.” 

Harrison mentioned that events like these are great place for students to practice getting to know people in just a few minutes and also presenting themselves in a positive way for future dates or job interviews. 

Freshman Mariah Baumgartner-Morris said this event will help students meet new people on campus, even if it is just a new friend. She also commented that students should attend the speed dating event because there will be free food and prizes along with the friendly, casual atmosphere. 

“This event is about getting students to come and meet other single students and just to have fun,” Morris said. 

Harrison commented that in the past more females have been in attendance than males so more males are encouraged to come to the event. Scott also wanted to encourage as many singles as possible to attend. 

 “The more people that show up, the better chance that matches will be found,” Scott said. 

Without giving away specifics, the RHA members all said that this event will be bigger and better than those in years past. They hope more singles will attend than in past years and that they will be ready to meet their potential Valentine’s dates. 

“Whether they are looking to meet people, scope out the singles crowd, or just have a good time, this event is for everyone,” Scott said.